OCHA Situation Report
Somalia
Monthly Analysis for October 2005
14 November 2005


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

This report was written in cooperation with the UN Agencies in Somalia

OVERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

Sea piracy continues to be rife off the coast of Southern Somalia 
affecting commercial as well as humanitarian activities. A second Kenyan 
vessel carrying WFP food aid was hijacked on 12 October in the port of 
Merka and released two days later. The second food aid cargo to be 
hijacked in four months, WFP is looking to find alternative routes to 
bring food stocks into Somalia, including overland from Kenya and 
through Djibouti. The temporary halt of ocean transport is also 
impacting on the availability of fuel in south Somali, affecting flights 
and humanitarian access into Somalia. Alternate supply avenues are being 
explored.

Meanwhile, activities by extremist groups in Somalia are becoming a 
growing concern and could well become an increasing challenge in terms 
of UN aid operations and access throughout the country. October started 
bleakly in terms of security with the brutal assassination of the UNDSS 
national security officer on 3 October in Kismayo. The assassination put 
an abrupt end to the just prior resumption of UN presence in the area 
and an opportunity for renewed access in the Lower Juba valley.

Delayed and below normal 2005 Deyr rains in southern Somalia are causing 
increased concern. Patchy rainfall has been received in certain regions, 
however low rainfall in areas of Gedo, Middle and Lower Juba is causing 
a severe shortage of water affecting rangeland and livestock. Should the 
trend continue, and given the severe 2005 Gu crop losses, there will be 
major implications for food security in southern Somalia. FSAU is 
classifying most of southern Somalia to be at Moderate Risk of 
Humanitarian Emergency. During the 2006 CAP consultations, aid partners 
agreed that the humanitarian response in 2006 will focus in particular 
on the needs along the Juba Valley. These latest developments highlight 
the need for concerted efforts particularly in light of, and despite 
limited humanitarian access to the area.

Having said this, the possibility of flooding is still a reality. Since 
the heavy 2005 Gu floods in June and July, river levels have remained 
high on both the Shabelle and Juba rivers and the soils along the 
embankment, saturated. Heavy rains in the Ethiopian catchments or within 
Somali could still cause floods to rapidly develop on both rivers, 
especially along the riverine areas where flood irrigation is being 
practiced due to the poor rains. Aid agencies have set out to strengthen 
the coordination network along the Juba Valley to enhance preparedness 
and response in the eventuality of flooding in the coming month.

Thousands of Ethiopians migrants have arrived in Puntland only to become 
stranded. According to an inter-agency assessment in Bossaso, around 
3,000 migrants are presently living in dire humanitarian conditions 
without proper hygiene facilities, water and food. Most have traveled in 
search of better economic opportunities or with plans to travel on to 
Yemen by boat. Some claimed they were fleeing Ethiopia for political 
reasons. Around 80% of those interviewed claimed they are willing to 
return home but lack the means to do so. Aid partners are in the process 
of providing immediate life-saving assistance through local 
organisations.

Since the first case appeared in September 2005, the number of confirmed 
polio cases in Somalia has reached 42 - all of them in the Benadir area. 
Avid emergency campaigns continue by WHO, UNICEF and other local and 
international partners to target about 1.5 million children under five 
years old. Efforts will continue throughout November and December 2005 
to obtain as much coverage as possible.

The Somali Joint Needs Assessment (JNA) is about to start. The 
composition of the JNA team is being finalized and an Inception Retreat 
will take place in late November 2005 to launch the process. The JNA 
will build upon what is accomplished in the humanitarian sector and for 
this reason donors must continue to act concertedly to meet humanitarian 
needs so that they do not weaken reconstruction and development efforts. 
The 2005 Somalia CAP is presently roughly 46% covered.

ACCESS and SECURITY

Sea piracy continues to be rife off the coast of Southern Somalia 
affecting commercial as well as humanitarian activities. A second Kenyan 
vessel carrying WFP food aid destined for riverine communities in the 
Lower Juba was hijacked on 12 October in the port of Merka but 
thankfully released two days later. On 20 October, yet another 
commercial cargo ship was hijacked off the Somali coast as it sailed 
from South Africa to Europe. Three Taiwanese fishing vessels are still 
held hostage since June 2005 with 47 crew members of mixed nationalities 
on the island of Koyaama southwest of Kismayo. Another vessel with a 
Ukrainean crew is held off the port of Eyl. More than twenty boats have 
been hijacked off the Somali coast since March of this year and the 
trend does not appear to be decreasing. Prime Minister Gedi has made two 
appeals to the international community to help address this issue. 
Kenyan vessel owners are becoming very reluctant to use the southern 
Somali waters and are asking for armed escort to deliver WFP commodities 
or UN relief. The temporary halt of sea transport is also impacting on 
the availability of fuel in south Somali, directly affecting the 
humanitarian flights into the area. The southern Somali coastline is one 
of the most dangerous in the world and WFP's operations in southern 
Somalia have felt the consequences. The Agency is thus exploring 
alternative transport routes, including overland from Kenya and via 
Djibouti, to reach those in desperate need of food assistance.

On 27 October, an aviation edict placed a ban on all flights from 
Nairobi to Merka and Daynile airstrips in Somalia, however, confusion 
over its application has affected flights going to other destinations in 
Somalia. Given the security and humanitarian implications of such an air 
ban, and to secure unrestricted access for humanitarian assistance, the 
UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia has requested the Kenyan 
Authorities for an exemption on the ban for all humanitarian flights 
into Somalia.

In the wake of the parliamentary elections, the overall security 
situation in the northwest remained calm throughout the month with no 
reported security incidents following the arrest of seven men linked to 
terrorist organizations in September. Activities by extremist groups in 
Somalia are becoming a growing concern and could well become an 
increasing challenge in terms of UN operations and presence throughout 
the country. In Mogadishu, reports suggest that the Sharia Court militia 
continue to expand their areas of influence in the city. UN activities 
continue despite on-going individually targeted assassinations and 
increasing criminal acts.

The security situation in central and southern areas remained tense and 
volatile, starting with the brutal assassination of the UNDSS national 
security officer on 3 October in Kismayo, which brought an abrupt end to 
the just prior resumption of UN presence in the area. The Juba Valley 
Alliance (JVA) was quick to join the international community in 
condemning the murder and established a committee to investigate the 
matter. All UN staff was immediately relocated and Kismayo is presently 
a no-go location until further notice. This incident marks a real 
set-back, not only in the tragedy of the loss of a life, but also in 
terms of opportunities for re-engagement in an area considered in a 
critical humanitarian emergency. In view of this emerging security 
challenge, UN agencies are looking into ways of minimizing the risk to 
staff and operations while at the same time continuing to meet the needs 
of affected populations.

In Jowhar, the presence of a large number of militia who had arrived 
from Puntland via Ethiopia in September continues to create added 
tension. The threat by several of the TFG ministers currently based in 
Mogadishu to attack Jowhar has not disappeared. Still, subsequent to the 
temporary relocation of international staff from Jowhar in September, 
reduced numbers of UN staff members returned to their duty station in 
early October. Baidoa, on the other hand, remains closed to UN 
international staff, as the long-expected peace talks between Muhammad 
Ibrahim "Habsade" and Hassan Muhammad Nur "Shatigaduud" have yet to 
commence.

While access to Bardera, Garbaharey and Dolow in Gedo region are open to 
UN operations, access to El Wak remains obstructed due to the stalemate 
in the peace agreement between the Gare and Marehan. Subsequent to the 
OCHA-led inter-agency mission to Mandera (Kenya) and El Wak, in late 
September, agencies were ready to mobilize a response to address 
identified needs. The response, however, was indefinitely postponed due 
to a series of security incidents. Two hand grenades were thrown into 
CARE's compound in El Wak Kenya and a van carrying Gare and Marehan 
representatives exploded over a landmine killing five people. Despite 
these incidents, the peace agreement seems to be holding as Gare and 
Marehan TFG representatives have agreed to meet again in Mandera with a 
broader range of stakeholders to cement the peace agreement.

In the northeast, while UN operations proceeded as normal, tension was 
on the increase due to inter and intra-clan fighting as well as 
politically motivated incidents. Some members of the community are 
attributing increased crime rates to the influx of economic and illegal 
migrants. A specific incident due to unpaid salary caused an ECHO 
aircraft to turn back at Garowe's airstip as an airstrip guard 
threatened to shoot the aircraft. The guard was immediately arrested and 
the airstrip secured. On-going tension over border disputes in eastern 
Sool and Sanaag, continues to limit the presence of humanitarian actors 
in these regions, particularly in Hudun and Taleh.

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